The Potions Master's Daughter
by Foodie
Summary: Draco moves on with his life, but finds out that life has more in store for him than he thought. This is how Draco met Tanith. Set after Dragon's Tears and Letters part of the True Revenge Series.


This story is part of the True Revenge series, taking place after Dragon's Tears and Letters. The first paragraph gives a brief explanation of what led up to this story, but for the full effect, please read the aforementioned stories available on my writing partner ElfFlame's bio page. This was a birthday present for ElfFlame, and she really enjoyed it, so I'm posting it here for everybody else to enjoy. This tells some of the in-between times from Dragon's Tears to Teecie's story, and I've always wondered how Draco and Tanith met, so I decided one day to just write it for myself! Of course I don't own the characters from the book, but the original characters belong to ElfFlame, myself, and the True Revenge universe. Happy reading!

The Potions Master's Daughter

Draco Black felt like his life was spiraling out of control. Nothing seemed to be going the way he'd planned. He'd had such grand and epic goals for his life while a student at Hogwarts, but the war had ruined all of that. Now he had nothing to look forward to, and no hope for a better future. This is what he was contemplating after arriving in France. His life was in such turmoil now, having just recently confronted his father for the first time in years. He'd been so used to being angry at Lucius Malfoy, that it seemed odd to him to not feel as strongly towards him anymore. Now that he'd had a couple months to process all that he'd gone through, he knew his life needed to change. Kidnapping his sisters, now that he really thought about it, had been one of the most terrible ideas he'd ever come up with. The very thought if it filled him with shame over what he'd done to them. He saw now what wonderful children his sisters were, and couldn't imagine doing anything like that again. The time he'd spent with his sisters, which he'd since come to think of as "borrowing" them, had given him a new lease on life.

The time had come for Draco to do something with his life. He wanted to do something meaningful, something that would bring fame to his name. And the sort of fame that didn't come from being Lucius Malfoy's son. He wanted a reputation of his own. He deserved no less.

This is what Draco was thinking about as he unpacked his trunks in the guest room of his new employer. Rainier D'Aubigne, the greatest potions maker in all of France, had agreed to train Draco to become a potions maker as well.

Master D'Aubigne was a harsh man, as their first meeting had proved. Draco had made the mistake of interrupting the family at dinner. D'Aubigne's maid had let him into the manor and taken him to the parlour, where he had sat for almost a half hour alone before the man came to greet Draco.

"You are Draco Black?" D'Aubigne said gruffly in greeting.

Draco stood up and held his hand out. "Yes sir," he replied, "It is an honour to finally meet you."

D'Aubigne took Draco's hand and shook it. "And I look forward to training you. I have not had an apprentice in several years," he replied. "Have you eaten?" When Draco shook his head, D'Aubigne spoke again, "I shall have a plate of food sent up to your room. And the housekeeper shall show you where you will be staying." With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Draco alone once again.

A minute later, the housekeeper came into the parlour, and took him up three flights of stairs to a small room that was to be his for the next two years. As Draco looked around, he was appalled at the almost inhumane surroundings.

The room had a four poster bed, double, as if anybody his age should have to sleep in a double bed. He hadn't slept in a double bed since he was three years old. And his years at Hogwarts didn't count, for there hadn't been room in the dormitories for larger than twin-size beds. There was only a single small oak wardrobe for his clothes; there was no way all that he'd brought would fit. A small writing table and wooden chair stood in front of the only window in the room. A flimsy blue curtain closed off the outside world from view. There was a small bathroom adjoining the room that contained only the bare essentials: a toilet, sink, and very small tub. It was smaller than his clothes closet had been at Black Manor.

The only other items in the room were a small bedside stand, and a painting on the wall above his bed, of flowers in a meadow that blew around as though a gentle breeze was blowing over them. There was also a small fireplace across from the bed that wasn't even large enough to floo from.

Once all the trunks and bags had been brought into the room, the housekeeper handed Draco a plate of food, and left him to his thoughts. He ate at his desk that night, looking around and wondering what he'd gotten himself into. It seemed as though he was to be treated like a servant, not an apprentice. Draco fell asleep that night wondering if any sort of fame was worth this humiliation.

The next morning, he ate breakfast in his room before dressing and going downstairs to begin his work with D'Aubigne. As he walked to the first floor landing, he saw the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. She had long, honey-blonde hair that hung loose down to her shoulders, forming a sort of halo around her angelic features. Bright blue eyes which twinkled as though she'd just heard a joke met his for a moment. Her cherry red lips drew up into a slight smile. Her pale skin flushed, and she averted her eyes as he approached her.

Draco took in all this beauty, and was left breathless, something he wasn't used to. He quickly summoned his courage, for he wouldn't let something as trifle as a pretty girl intimidate him. "Good morning, Miss…" he said boldly.

The girl flushed again, but held her head high as she responded. "D'Aubigne, monsieur."

Draco's eyebrows rose slightly upon hearing this. "I was not aware that Master D'Aubigne had a daughter," he said while taking her hand in his, and kissing it gently.

"Yes, I am his only child," she replied while taking her hand back. Draco loved the sound of the soft French accent with which she spoke.

He didn't want to end his conversation with this most beautiful girl, but he knew it wouldn't do to arrive late on his first day of apprenticing. With a sigh, he nodded to Miss D'Aubigne. "Well, I must be off to meet your father. Good day," he said politely before continuing on his way to the Master's workshop.

Master D'Aubigne was already working when Draco arrived. "Ah, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up today," he said in greeting to the younger man.

Draco cleared his throat before answering. "I apologize, Master, I was…delayed…" he trailed off.

"Yes, well, we will have to work on your discipline to the craft, I see," D'Aubigne said with a sniff of disapproval.

The day proceeded much like that. Whenever Draco did something well and expected praise for it, he was given curt reactions. After successfully creating a very complicated Wolfsbane potion, D'Aubigne had looked at it with scrutiny. "It will do," he said with a sniff before moving on to the next task at hand.

And when he did something wrong, it was expounded upon for great lengths of time. When Draco had accidentally forgotten the caterpillar legs for a potion, D'Aubigne had thrown his hands into the air. "Did you not read the instructions?" he'd cried. "I gave you very simple instructions, and if you cannot follow them, than I do not hold much hope for you." He'd continued to mutter to himself for about twenty minutes afterwards before calming down again.

At the end of the day, Draco was exhausted. He began to mutter to himself as he cleaned up the workshop. "Didn't I do anything right?" he murmured while throwing a rag into a sink.

D'Aubigne, who had been walking towards the door to leave, heard this, stopped, and turned to look at his apprentice. "You did not come to me for praise and hand-holding, Black," he said tersely. "You came to me to learn all that I know about potions. You have a terrible lack of discipline, and a need for admiration that will not get you very far in this business. Some day you will thank me for this." With that, he turned and walked out of the room.

Draco frowned. He hadn't known D'Aubigne had still been in the room. The man was most likely quite angry at him, and would make his life hell for this slip up.

Over the next week, though, D'Aubigne's treatment of Draco was no different. He acted as though he'd not heard what Draco had said.

By the week's end, all Draco wanted to do for the next two days, was sleep. He'd never felt more drained in his entire life. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. Part of his new wonderful life as an apprentice was that he didn't get weekends. He would have to work half days on Saturday and Sundays, and only once a month would he get an entire weekend off. He sighed at the thought. What had he been thinking when deciding to become an apprentice?

That Friday evening, though, he was somewhat revitalized when he saw Miss D'Aubigne again. She was sitting in the living room with her mother, looking very bored.

As Draco's foot hit the first step to go up to his room, he heard a voice call out to him. "So I hear my father has been very grueling to you," Miss D'Aubigne said while walking up to him. "He said you cried like a little mother's boy on the first day."

Draco frowned and crossed his arms. "Did he now?" he asked. The nerve of that man! How dare he?

Tanith smiled slyly. "No, but I wanted to see how you'd react," she replied with a giggle.

Draco was taken aback. He wasn't even sure what to say to that.

"You keep your feelings very well hidden, Monsieur Black," she explained. "I merely wanted to see if you were capable of showing them."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Well, Miss D'Aubigne, I would very much appreciate if you no longer played silly little games with me. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said while turning on his heel and marching up the stairs.

"Good evening, Monsieur Black," Miss D'Aubigne called after him.

As furious as Draco was at her, he found himself thinking about her in spite of his best efforts not to. Why would she be so curious in seeing his feelings if she wasn't interested in getting to know him better? Perhaps the poor girl was madly in love with him, and had no idea how to express herself properly. Not that it was proper at all for a girl to profess her love to a man. No, that would hardly do.

Over the weekend, as he worked alone, Draco tried to find out what he could about the poor, afflicted Miss D'Aubigne. According to the house elf that cleaned his room, her Christian name was Tanith, and she had just finished her schooling at Beauxbatons. She was 18 years old, and had no prospects of a marriage as of yet. Her favourite colour was lilac, and her favourite food was tarte tatin.

Draco let all this knowledge keep him going over the next week. He saw Tanith at least once a day in passing, and was polite to her, for her chose not to hold her sense of humour against her.

"Good afternoon, Miss D'Aubine," he said to her as he left the workshop one day.

"Good afternoon indeed, Monsieur Black," she said with a smile. "I was just about to go to the market for a bit of fresh air. Would you care to join me?" she asked kindly.

Draco looked at her carefully to see if this was a wind-up. When he was sure she was serious, he bowed slightly. "I would be delighted to escort you to the market," he replied.

"Very good! But change your clothes first, and be sure to wear a cloak, for it is very cold outside today," Tanith replied happily.

She sat in a chair by the front door while Draco quickly prepared for the outing. He took the time to wash his face and brush his hair before changing his clothes.

It was a 15 minute walk in the chilly October air to the market. Tanith held Draco's arm as they strolled down the sidewalk. She was very good at asking questions that helped her get to know him better. And for some reason, Draco's discretion seemed to have abandoned him, and he found himself answering things he never would have, if anybody else had asked.

Draco could tell that Tanith was very much in love with him. He knew from the way she batted her eyes, and smiled at him. He knew he'd given her great pleasure by escorting her to the market. And when she handed him a large wicker basket and started loading it up with fruits and vegetables, he didn't even mind. "You are so much stronger than I am," she explained. She even made a very bold move by patting his arms briefly.

Draco puffed out his chest with pride at this. He'd never been called strong before, and had never really considered himself so, either.

By the end of their shopping trip, Tanith had filled Draco's basket almost to overflowing. His shoulders burned with the strain of carrying it, but he smiled, and shook his head when Tanith asked if it was too heavy. "Of course not, I'm fine," he replied.

Tanith chattered away during the entire walk home. She told him about Beauxbatons, and all her friends. She told him of her likes and dislikes on everything from food to politics. She was quite opinionated, and Draco wasn't used to that in a girl. Most of the females he'd known in his life had been content enough to let men do the thinking for them. This was new to him, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about it.

Draco was very certain though, of how he felt, when she began to speak about her boyfriend. His name was Philippe Beauregard. He had left Beauxbatons the same year she had. "He is a good, handsome boy, from a good family here," she said with a sigh. "We have many things in common, and I love him very much."

Draco tried not to show how much this bothered him. He had no idea why it did, for it mattered naught to him who her boyfriend was. He was just annoyed that he'd obviously been wrong about her feelings for him. He'd been so certain about it. He hated nothing more, with the exception of Harry Potter, than to be wrong. It galled him. It was an imperfection that was inescapable, and tarnished his otherwise flawless record.

Over the next two weeks, Draco's life seemed harder than ever before. D'Aubigne berated him at every opportunity over even the simplest of errors. And Tanith seemed quite the gadabout, always running off with Philippe, or her girlfriends from school. Not that he cared, of course, but he'd grown accustomed to seeing her around the house, in passing, and found he missed her a little whenever she was out.

Time passed quickly. Draco's days were filled with making potions and studying from dawn until dusk, and his evenings were spent writing letters to Snape, and Lucius, or reading through his extensive notes from the day. He didn't really have time to worry about Tanith, though he always seemed to know what she was up to. The house elf that cleaned his room was very helpful in keeping him informed of her whereabouts.

Draco spent an uneventful Christmas holiday with the D'Aubignes. Both of his parents, as well as Snape, sent him gifts. Lucius sent pictures of Reni, Kali, and Teecie, all dressed up in their fanciest Christmas dresses, though Kali's picture kept scowling at him, and walking out of the frame. Reni and Teecie's pictures, smiled, waved, and blew kisses to him. Draco felt his heart warm over to see this. He didn't realize how much he cared for his sisters, and missed them.

He was looking at the pictures as he walked up the stairs, and didn't notice Tanith walking behind him. "Those are beautiful little girls," she said while running up to join him on the step. "Who are they?"

Draco smiled slightly as he looked at Tanith. "My sisters," he said proudly. "I don't get to see them very often."

"Oh, that is too bad. Perhaps they can come and visit you here sometime," Tanith replied with a smile.

"Maybe." Draco looked at Tanith, and didn't know what else to say. "So…" he trailed off. "How is Philippe?"

Tanith's cheeks flushed, and she looked at her feet for a moment. "He is well. Though, I have not seen him in over a week. He is a very busy man now," she said quietly.

"Well, that is a shame that he has neglected you for so long."

Tanith shrugged her shoulders, and smiled sadly. "It gives me more of a chance to talk with you, no?" she said in a hopeful tone.

"I suppose. I must go to my room now, though."

"Oh, I will go with you then," Tanith said while following Draco up the stairs.

"Do you really think that's…proper?"

"What is improper about it? I have never been in your room before, and was only curious to see what it looks like."

Draco didn't say anything while the two of them walked up to his room. He wasn't sure what this meant. Why was she so interested in his living arrangements?

Tanith looked around for a minute when they walked into the room. Her nose wrinkled, and her mouth drew into a frown. "No, no, no, this will not do. This is no way to live," she said while taking her wand from her robes and trying to decide where to start.

Draco watched as she transfigured the furniture into larger and more attractive pieces. She conjured up several more pictures for the wall, including one of a tall ship on the ocean, that rose and dipped with the waves, and one of a train running along the rails. After enlarging the fireplace to twice the size it was before, she turned and smiled. "This is much better, no?"

Draco looked around and nodded his head. "Yes, much better," he murmured. "Thank you."

Tanith smiled and sat down at his desk. "It was nothing," she said with a laugh. "I should have come here sooner. You must freeze here at night, all alone with that tiny fireplace."

Draco shrugged his shoulders and sat down at the foot of his bed. "It's fine," he murmured, though he did think that his bed was a little lonely with only himself in it at night.

Tanith stayed in Draco's room that evening for over an hour talking. Draco told her how hard he worked with D'Aubigne each day, and how grateful he was for the opportunity to perfect himself. He couldn't stop looking at her the whole time. He'd never seen anybody more beautiful than Tanith before.

Tanith opened up about Philippe over the course of the evening. "I think he is not too busy with work," she said with a pained expression on her face, "I think he is seeing somebody else. I saw him once when he'd broken off a date with me, and he was sitting in pub with another girl. He looked very happy with her…"

Draco frowned and leaned forward to take one of her hands in his. "If Philippe is seeing another girl, than I think he is a cad who is unworthy of you. You don't deserve that," he replied emphatically. He was surprised at how angry he was to hear this. Seeing the pain on Tanith's face made him want to kill Philippe with his bare hands. He never wanted to see her looking hurt. He had the strange urge to protect her, for some odd reason.

They talked until Tanith began to yawn. "You should get some sleep," Draco said while standing up and walking over to her. He held out his hand, which she took, and helped her stand up. "I have enjoyed our time together this evening," he said while walking her to the door.

Tanith smiled at him. "I have too. I should come talk to you more often," she said before standing up on her toes and kissing his cheek. "I will see you tomorrow," she said as she walked out the door.

Draco brushed his hand against the cheek Tanith had kissed. It took him a while to fall asleep that night, for he found himself reliving that moment over and over again in his mind.

Every night after that, for the next two weeks, the two of them met after dinner, and spent the evening together, talking and getting to know one another better. Draco felt uncomfortable spending time in his room alone with Tanith, feeling like he was taking advantage of her, and D'Aubigne's trust in him as his apprentice. So he insisted instead that they meet in the parlour, and take their evening tea together.

Draco could see Tanith's mother, Liana, watching the two of them carefully. She would often sit in the parlour with them, making sure the conversation didn't turn towards anything inappropriate.

Liana was a difficult woman to understand. At times she seemed delighted that Tanith and Draco spent so much time together, and at others, she seemed to disapprove of it. He never seemed to connect the disapproval to the fact that it always came up when Tanith was talking about Philippe. Liana highly approved of Draco, and thought he would make a wonderful match for her daughter. She allowed the two of them to spend as much time together as possible, as long as it was done in an appropriate manner.

And so, Draco and Tanith talked in the evenings, and as the weather began to improve in the early spring, they'd take walks together. Tanith showed him all the wonderful sights of Vichy. "There is a lot of history in this town with the Muggles. There was once a war, and France was very important in it, and this very town was a part of it," she explained.

Draco didn't know much about Muggle history, but was impressed with the city. He was more impressed with his tour guide, though. Even though there were many sights to see, he found his attention turning to Tanith constantly. The red light of the setting sun glinted off her blonde hair, and made her look even more beautiful than ever before. He wouldn't admit, it even to himself, but he would have followed her anywhere. She could have walked off a bridge, and he'd have followed without even thinking anything of it.

Everybody around Draco seemed to know more about his feelings for Tanith than he did. His letters to Snape and Lucius were filled with bits of information about her. He thought he was being subtle, and that since Tanith was the one in love with him, not the other way around, that it wouldn't matter if he mentioned her once or twice. She was, after all, the only person his age that he knew in this city.

Draco had written to his father: _Vichy is a very interesting city. I've got a wonderful tour guide. Tanith, Master D'Aubigne's daughter, is a few years younger than myself, and has just left Beauxbatons last summer. She's a very popular girl, with all sorts of silly girlfriends she's always running off with. She also has a boyfriend, but from what I've heard about him, he's no good. She's taken me around the city, and shown me all the sights. I've humoured her, because she's very much in love with me. If you could see the way she bats her eyes at me, or hangs onto my every word. You would be highly amused, father._

_Miss D'Aubigne and I have grown close over the last year, for she is the only person close to my age here in France. She is much kinder than her father. And much better looking too. It's not always that much of a chore, having to look after her. I am very flattered that she finds me so attractive as well. She is very much in love with me. Oh, I see I already wrote that. Anyway, she is. In love with me, that is._

Lucius had picked up on Draco's feelings for Tanith, for his response had spoken of it:

_I am thrilled to hear you are getting on well with your Master's daughter, though I would be careful if I were you. You are still heir to a great fortune, and many girls will court you for no other reason than your money. Believe me when I say that my greatest regret was "making do" with someone. Despite your grandfather's insistence, I should have waited for someone I could actually feel for. Your mother and I would have been better off for it. Though I would regret not having you as a son if I had done so._

Snape was clued into some of Draco's feelings as well. _Have I ever told you about Master D'Aubigne's family? He has a daughter who is close to my own age. Her name is Tanith. I'm not certain if she's any good at potions or not, because she's always off with her friends, and her imbecilic boyfriend. She's completely in love with me though, and no, don't worry, I won't take advantage of it. I would never abuse Master D'Aubigne's trust by doing something as foolish as getting involved with his daughter. I can't believe you would even suggest such a thing. _

_I know I am probably over-stepping my bounds by suggesting this, but I think you might do to find a nice girl to settle down with. I know it's none of my business, but if you don't start thinking about it now, you'll end up alone for the rest of your long life, and you are too young to be so lonely. Lonely is the worst feeling there can possibly be. I know I was feeling terribly lonely over here before I got to know Miss D'Aubigne better. Knowing that she's so very much in love with me has given me the strength to continue the apprenticeship here._ Snape's reaction had been a great deal less civil than Lucius's however:

_Brat,_

_I am perfectly capable of finding someone if I wish, but I am quite happy with my life as it is, and have no intention of allowing anyone else to muck it up. You would do well to keep your matchmaking to yourself._

_I was aware Master D'Aubigne had a daughter, and that she was near your age, and I am pleased to hear you are getting along well. Though perhaps you would do better to focus on your work rather than on the girls around you. After all, you are not there to engage in romance, Draco, you are there to become a master at your craft. Perhaps you would do well to remember that._

_Cordially,_

_Severus Snape_

Even though Draco's letters made it sound as though he spent every free moment with Tanith, not every evening was spent with her. She still went off with Philippe or her girlfriends a lot. She was just a very popular girl, and wasn't able to stay still for too long before another friend of hers snatched her up to go to a party or some sort of gathering. Draco went back to studying and writing letters when this happened.

And of course, his first priority was learning the craft of potions-making. D'Aubigne was a tough master to work for, but somehow Draco always managed to keep his head above water. He found himself thanking Snape for the training he'd gotten during Hogwarts in dealing with hard-to-please people. D'Aubigne never made him feel completely at home or comfortable around him, which was probably good in the long run, for he wasn't there to befriend the man.

Months passed pleasantly, and soon it was summertime. Draco would be working through the holiday though, and was finding the heat less than pleasant to work in. Everybody seemed more irritable at this time, which was ironic, for it was the most beautiful time of the year.

One night, Draco was working on a letter to his father in his room, when he heard a knock on the door. He was startled to see Tanith sobbing in front of him when he opened the door. "Miss D'Aubigne, what's wrong?" he asked while leading her into the room.

Tanith threw herself onto the bed and sobbed into Draco's pillow. Draco stood above her, looking bewildered and nervous. He had no idea what to do. "Er…Miss D'Aubigne…what happened?" he asked again.

Tanith cried for a minute longer before calming down and sitting up. She wiped the tears away, and sniffled. "Philippe told me tonight he is engaged to marry a girl from our school," she cried before bursting into tears again. "He said he was seeing her all year at the same time he was seeing me!"

Draco was stunned to hear this. What a terrible person this Philippe was! "I'm so sorry," Draco said while sitting down on the bed next to Tanith and putting his arm around her shoulders.

Tanith turned to him and buried her face in his chest. She cried for quite some time while Draco patted her hair. As upset as he was for her, he did have to take note of how soft and silky her hair was.

She cried for quite some time after that, and Draco held her the entire time. When she'd calmed down again, they ended up talking for several hours. It was three in the morning before Tanith finally left for her own room.

Draco was thankful that it was his weekend off, for he was able to sleep in well into the next morning to make up for the very late night. The next day, he ate his breakfast in bed before being interrupted by another knock on his door. He was shocked to see Master D'Aubigne's wife walk into the room and shut the door behind her.

Liana looked around the room before sitting down on the chair in front of his writing desk. "My daughter has informed me of what happened last night. She told me that you were very helpful to her in her time of need, and I would like to thank you," she said in a cool voice. Unlike her husband and daughter, Liana had a British accent. "I would like you to continue supporting Tanith as she deals with her pain," she continued, "I think you are good for her."

Draco set his fork down and looked at Liana carefully. What was she saying? Did she approve of her daughter spending time in his room alone? That was highly inappropriate. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Madam D'Aubigne, I do enjoy spending time with your daughter. Very much so, in fact. I would be honoured to brighten her spirits in the coming weeks- in appropriate public settings, of course," he said.

Liana smiled. "I am glad you feel that way," she said while standing up to leave. "I will let you return to your breakfast. Oh," she continued halfway through the door, "I trust you will keep this discussion to yourself."

"Of course, Madam, I won't tell your daughter anything," Draco replied with a nod. When Liana had left the room, he went back to his meal, still trying to figure out what all of that had meant. Sometimes women could be so confusing in the way they never actually said what they wanted out of a man. It made him seriously rethink his thoughts of marriage some day.

Over the next several weeks, Draco spent a lot of his free time with Tanith, who no longer went out with her friends. She sat in her room, or lounged about in the house, moping and eating chocolates with a reckless abandon for her fine figure.

Finally, after watching Tanith finish an entire box of bonbons, he stood up and held his hand out to her. "Come on, Miss D'Aubigne, let us go for a walk in the Park Napoleon. It is too fine a day to spend it eating chocolates inside," he said while she took his hand and stood up.

Tanith followed a step or two behind him, all the way to the park. Draco finally stopped walking until she caught up to him, and took her hand and placed it on his arm. "Look at the trees and the sky Miss D'Aubigne," he commanded lightly. Immediately upon saying those words, he was stricken with a greater horror than he'd ever before known. Look at the trees and sky? What the hell was happening to him? He was sounding like some sort of idiotic love-sick puppy.

Tanith sighed and did as she was told. "It is a very beautiful day, Monsieur Black," she replied while sliding her hand down in a bold move to embrace his hand. "It is more beautiful because I am here with you."

Draco's breath caught in his throat to feel her hand touching his. He looked down at her hand, and moved his so that it was holding hers. They continued to walk through the park, hand-in-hand, and occasionally stealing glances when they thought the other wasn't looking.

That afternoon, before returning to the D'Aubigne home, Draco and Tanith shared their first kiss under a large maple tree. They walked to the house, still holding one another's hands, and looking to the future. Draco knew he still had a lot of hard work ahead of him in order to become a Potions Master of any worth, but he looked forward to the time he had left in France.

Draco also knew that Tanith would play a role in his future, though what that role might be, he could not yet say. But he knew which role he hoped she would play. Hopefully he would be right this time, for he didn't think he could stand to be wrong again.

A/N: As I stated at the top of the story, this was a part of a much larger series involving the life and times of the Malfoy family. For more stories from the True Revenge Universe, please visit ElfFlame's and my bio pages. If you're a fan of any of the Malfoys, you won't be disappointed!


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